Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his congratulations and praise for President-Elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, citing his vow to “stop wars” in his victory speech.
“Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory!” Zelensky wrote on X. “We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.”
Zelensky said he spoke with Trump in September to outline his “Victory Plan” in the war against Russia. The Ukrainian leader said he hopes Trump’s “peace through strength” approach will be enough to stop Moscow’s war against his country.
“We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations,” Zelensky said.
He went on to say he looks forward to “personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.”
During his victory speech on election night, President-Elect Trump vowed to address the ongoing global conflicts.
“I’m not going to start wars. I’m going to stop wars,” Trump said during his victory speech.
He later noted that during his first term, “We had no wars, for four years we had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS.”
Many have wondered what a Trump victory would mean for the war in Ukraine, as the president-elect has often criticized the US spending money on the war, which is reaching the conclusion of its third year. It is unclear what Trump will do when it comes to funding Ukraine’s efforts against Russia.
In 2023, Trump said during a town hall that he wanted the war in the Ukraine to end and that winning back the White House would bring it to an end.
“They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours,” Trump said at the time.
Moscow currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, and the vast majority of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.